By Mundia Sam Brian

In 1958, French professional football player Louis Fontaine set a record for the most goals scored in a single FIFA World Cup with thirteen goals in six games.

He was a productive forward that made Pele at a FIFA Awards Ceremony in March 2004, calling him one of the top 125 active footballers.

Also, at the UEFA Jubilee Awards in November 2003, the French Football Federation selected him as the best French player of the previous 50 years.

At the age of 89, Just Fontaine, a significant figure in French football, has died.

The forward helped France go to the semi-finals for the first time in 1958 by scoring 13 goals in just six games, breaking the record for goals scored in a single tournament.

With his series of goals, Fontaine scored in every match, including a hat-trick in his tournament debut against Paraguay and four in the third-place play-off victory over West Germany.

There have only been three players with more goals in the World Cup: Gerd Muller (14), the legendary Ronaldo of Brazil (15), and Miroslav Klose (16).

Ligue 1 tied Just Fontaine’s record of 13 participation on his sixth appearance in Qatar.

Fontaine’s international record is 30 goals from 21 caps, forcing him to retire at age 28 due to injury.

At the club level, Fontaine won the Ligue 1 and the Cup de France with Nice before moving on to Reims, where he added three more league titles, the Coupe de France, and two Trophee des Champions victories.

The striker also played on the team that lost to Real Madrid in the 1958–1959 European Cup final. Afterward, he transitioned into management and was in charge of Toulouse, the Moroccan national team, and Paris Saint-Germain.

After receiving word of Fontaine’s demise on Wednesday, PSG was one of the clubs that expressed their sympathies to his family.

RIP Just Fontaine.

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A legend of French football who has sadly left us and a sad day for all at Paris Saint-Germain, a club he led to the first division 50 years ago. pic.twitter.com/HovqldRTir

— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) March 1, 2023

A French football icon has passed, and Paris Saint-Germain would like to pay tribute to the man who led them to the first division some 50 years ago. https://t.co/xFVyUvEwt2

— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) March 1, 2023

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